LUC the HERO!

My dad sent me this clip from his on-going biography of my boys. It was a day and a series of long terrifying minutes for me that turned out well. I might return to this in the future and blog about some of the more personal aspects of this story. Luc was 8 yrs old at the time:

By: Howard Boyle

Eugene, Dori and family were on a campout at Lucky Peak and we (Mom and I) were invited to go up for a visit and for Father’s Day. When we arrived there (June 17, 2007) Eugene told us a story that sent shivers down my spine. Seems that the day before, (June 16, 2007) Eugene heard James, a friend of Luc’s who was along for the trip, screaming. He was in the water and flailing and at first, Eugene thought that James might be fooling around. Finally, Eugene realized that James was not fooling. Eugene also saw Luc swimming toward James. Luc was wearing a life jacket, James was not. However, when Luc reached James, James, in a panic mode, grabbed hold of Luc and because James was quite a bit heavier, was actually pulling Luc under. Eugene dove into the water and started for the boys, but suddenly developed shortness of breath and couldn’t get to them. A stranger standing nearby, dove into the water, reached the boys and grabbed hold of James. As soon as James let go of Luc, Luc was able to swim back to the shore. Eugene also swam back to the shore with the help of a preserver that Dori had thrown out to him. Perhaps because of smoking, or perhaps due to a panic situation, Eugene was unable to reach Luc. He was completely out of breath. Thankfully though, all turned out well and to all who heard the story, they realized, Luc was, and is, definitely a hero. I hope that Eugene will think very seriously about quitting smoking. We should all give thanks to God for the stranger who happened to be nearby